


On Thin Ice

by xShadowWolfx



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-20
Updated: 2015-02-07
Packaged: 2018-02-18 02:09:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2331308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xShadowWolfx/pseuds/xShadowWolfx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If someone had told Gavin that he would be responsible for saving the lives of his fellow lads he might have laughed the idea off. In fact, he would have just thought that any mess they got into would have been his fault to start with. Fate is not always what it seems though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was a cold December day in Austin, Texas. So cold, that rare snowfall had occurred that was enough to freeze over lakes and leave a light layer of snow on the ground. In the Ramsey household, two of its occupants were trying to stay warm in the unusual freeze. 

"Geoff, does it normally snow this much?" Gavin asked from under his blanket on the sofa. He was already wearing a jacket, a beanie, and his creeper scarf to keep warm.

"There's a saying that it snows once every ten years in parts of Texas, but this is a bit more than normal," the gent on the other side of the couch answered while checking the weather on his phone.

"It also looks like we might get more snow later. Are you lads still planning on going to the lake?" 

Right on cue, both men heard a knock on the door. Gavin squeaked excitedly and sprung up from his place on the couch to open the door for Michael and Ray. Geoff, who had been watching the Brit out of the corner of his eye, was surprised that one minute the lad was bundled up on the couch and the next minute eagerly greeting his friends, all semblance of the cold forgotten. 

_Maybe Griffon and I need to try harder to put some meat on his bones. The idiot barely weighs ten pounds as it is._

Geoff was distracted from his thoughts of if he could feed the Brit while he slept when he realized all three lads were staring expectantly at him. 

"Geoff, you bloody dope, weren't you listening?" 

"Well boi, Geoff is getting old. He probably doesn't hear as good as he used to."

Their boss raised an eyebrow at that comment.

"Grandpa Geoff!" Ray exclaimed jokingly, even though the gent glared at him.

"Yeah, keep rubbing it in assholes! I can still fire you whether we are at the office or not!"

The lads chose wisely to back off. Today was not an ideal day to piss off their boss.

"So can we go to the lake?" Gavin repeated.

" _May_ we go to the lake," Geoff corrected. "And yeah, you guys are big boys. Ya'll can do whatever ya'll want. Just be back by three for the meeting." Yesterday, Geoff had called Michael and Ray, as well as Ryan and Jack, to come over for a "meeting" to discuss video and Let's Play ideas since the office was closed. Although, everyone knew the Hunters would just end up hanging out while playing games and drinking. 

"And be careful. Can't have you three freeze to death now can I?"

The lads left with a chorus of "Yes, sir" "Yes, Daddy" and a salute from Gavin.

Geoff shook his head and groaned. "Why I ever hired those kids is beyond me."


	2. Chapter 2

"This feels like I'm back in New York."

Michael nodded in agreement with Ray. The lads were currently riding in Michael's car on their way to a lake, or more like a pond, at a nearby park to see if it had frozen over. The eldest lad was just as bundled up as Gavin with his green and brown beanie and brown hoodie. Ray had just opted for an Achievement Hunter hoodie with the hood pulled as far down as possible. 

After busily talking about the snow, games, and movies, it seemed like in no time that Michael was pulling into the small parking lot, and they all climbed out. Gavin hung back a second though as the other two started to walk slowly toward the lake. Making sure they were not looking, he bent down to pick up enough snow to make a sizable snowball, but what he didn't expect was for Michael to turn around and catch him standing back up suspiciously. The Brit quickly hid the snowball behind his back and, try as he might, could not wipe the guilty grin off of his face. Michael narrowed his eyes and didn't take long to put two and two together.

"Gavin. Don't. You. Fucking. Dare. Now _drop_ it!"

The lad should have known better as Gavin took the opportunity, and seemingly permission, to land the snowball right in his face faster than he could duck. Michael stood completely still for a few seconds with his anger rising and then suddenly charged at Gavin. 

" _Micool!_ " 

Gavin made a valiant effort to escape but only tripped over his own feet in the process.

"Come here and just take it, Gavin!"

Michael managed to tackle the squealing Brit onto his stomach and stuff a handful of snow down his shirt. As soon as he let him up, Gavin jumped around trying to get the snow out of his clothes. Michael sat on the ground howling with laughter while Ray was also doubled over laughing. The Brit finally reined himself in when all of the snow seemed to be gone, although he now had cold water running down his back, and looked to Ray.

"X-Ray, where were you?" he asked with mock hurt.

"Sorry, Vav," Ray held his hands up and chuckled. "I'm no match for the mighty Mogar." 

"Damn right you're no match," the aforementioned lad said while standing back up. "Now let's go see this lake."

It was an amazing sight, especially for Texas. A lake that would normally always have rippling water and a gentle current completely brought to a standstill by ice and snow. The lads walked up to the edge and took in the wintery scene. Clouds were beginning to gather, promising more snow on the way. Michael cautiously put one foot on the ice and tested it to see if it could hold his weight. Another foot and few steps out later, he was confident it was frozen enough. 

"Let's walk out to the middle."

Gavin hesitated at first but soon followed the eldest lad onto the ice, trusting that Michael knew what he was doing. Ray stayed in place.

"Ray, you coming, boi?" Michael asked.

"No. You guys go ahead. I'll just wait here."

"Whatever."

Michael and Gavin made it to the middle of the lake without any trouble.

"This is bloody top!"

"Enjoy it Gavvy, we may never see this in Austin again in our lifetimes."

"At least I get to enjoy it with my best friends."

"Shut up, Gavin."

The two lads enjoyed the scene a little while longer before turning to walk back to land, but not before they realized Ray was slowly inching his way towards them. 

"Look who decided to join us," Michael said jokingly while crossing his arms.

"This ice is safe...right Michael?"

"Well we made it out here, so I'm assuming you can too." A statement Michael would later regret.

Ray nodded and took another step. He at first did not want to walk onto the actual ice, but after watching Michael and Gavin enjoying themselves, he decided to stop being such a scaredy cat and go out to them. _I mean, YOLO, right_? It's not like he didn't like the water, but he couldn't swim and didn't want to fall through the ice, considering the lake was pretty deep the further out you went. He was trying to follow the path the other two had taken but didn't realize just how far he had veered off. Michael and Gavin were lucky that they had picked one of the few paths to the middle that was actually solid enough to hold their weight. Ray was unaware of the fact that he was currently treading on dangerously thin ice.

Ten feet from Michael and Gavin, Ray took a step and a sickening crack was heard. He stood completely still as more cracks started to appear around his feet. The lad found himself holding his breath and unable to move, bracing himself for falling in. Then suddenly, the cracks stopped and no more sounds were heard. Ray moved his other foot up so his feet were beside each other again and sighed in relief when the only sound was the crunch of snow. 

He looked up to see Michael and Gavin tensed up and wide eyed but both relaxed as well since it seemed the danger had passed. A fall into the freezing cold water could leave them in a bad situation so better to avoid it if they could. 

Ray chuckled and shook his head for freaking out over nothing. He shifted his weight to take another step. That's when the world was pulled out from underneath him and sent him suddenly plunging into the deep icy waters of the lake. 

"Ray!!!!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Ray!!!!" Gavin and Michael screamed in horror as they watched their best friend smile at them one moment and then disappear through the ice with a shriek the next. Both lads stood too frozen in shock to move, but Gavin broke out of it when a sudden realization hit him. 

"Ray can't swim," the Brit gasped out before running to where the lad had fallen through. Gavin half dove in, half slid in with a squawk of surprise as the ice broke under his weight as well.

"Gavin!!!" Michael yelled in panic and took a step forward before the Brit also submerged under the water. Now he was forced to wait in the tense silence that followed, praying in his head to any higher power that would listen that his bois would be alright. "Ten seconds...ten seconds and I'm coming in after you guys."

When Gavin hit the water he didn't expect the wind to get knocked out of him from the cold, but he was able to collect himself and take a deep breath before diving. He could only imagine how Ray must have felt falling in with no warning.

The Brit spotted Ray immediately as he struggled to get to the surface but only kept sinking further down. Gavin gave a powerful kick, ignoring the cold. He managed to reach Ray and wrap one arm around his waist. Together, they kicked and paddled up to the surface. 

Michael was preparing to jump in when his bois finally surfaced and he let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Gavin was relieved that everyone was safe. Ray was just happy to not drown, after he finished coughing up the water he had swallowed in the panic of the fall. But this was far from the end of their ordeal.

Ray was trying to stay afloat by himself, but was only serving as a dead weight that Gavin had to support. The Brit could feel the cold slowly getting to him as keeping both him and the younger lad afloat was proving to be harder than he thought. Michael was trying to get closer to them but Gavin's hopes were crushed when the ice started to break under him as well. Luckily, the lad jumped back fast enough to avoid joining them in the drink. Gavin looked to the side at the ice they had walked across already a little closer to shore. Michael would be on more stable ground if he went there.

"Michael...go...go over there." He pointed where Michael should stand. 

"Ok, I'm on my way. Don't you dare go the fuck under!" He could very well see that Gavin was struggling. 

As Michael made his way over though, the ice started to break under the increased pressure of him running, causing him to go further than he intended to find solid ground. Now, the distance had more than doubled for the other two, and they needed to go to Michael since the ice in their way was too fragile to support the both of them. Gavin shuddered when large chunks broke off easily in his hand, causing the ice around to crumble in a chain reaction. It was all water until they got to Michael. The eldest lad finally found a safe spot and kneeled down ready to fish his bois out.

"Come on, Ray," Gavin said weakly.

He began to swim while dragging Ray along. The youngest lad had little strength left to do anything more than a weak kick or stroke. Gavin had some energy as he started swimming towards Michael but found that the stress from the cold gnawing at him, the adrenaline wearing off, his clothes being weighed down by the water, having to push ice out of their way, and dragging Ray along was making progress frustratingly slow. Michael realized that the Brit looked distressed, so he stood up and took a step forward to try to get closer again. He was ok until the ice suddenly broke underneath him, this time throwing him into the water before he could jump away. 

Gavin and Ray gasped, but Michael surfaced almost immediately. He scrambled to get back onto solid ground but kept having the ice break under is hands. Fortunately, he finally found solid ground again to haul himself up on and turned around shivering and breathing hard to face Gavin and Ray again.

"Gavin...just let me go," Ray practically whispered in a strained voice. "Maybe...maybe I can make it... by myself. Only...weighing you down."

"I'm not letting you go! You'll drown!" the Brit exclaimed confused.

Ray sighed in defeat. "Maybe it...would be better..."

Before Gavin could recover from his shock at Ray wanting to give up and respond, Michael had heard the words and now practically entered full rage mode.

"Ray, don't you fucking dare give up! You stay right there with Gavin! There's no maybe's about this so cut that shit out! Gavin, come on boi, you can do it! Come on, get over here! Don't you give the fuck up on me as well!"

The Brit locked eyes with his best friend and kept swimming. Gavin was trying, he really was, but letting himself sink was becoming more and more tempting, and he found himself whimpering and gasping from the strain and the pain of the cold.

Michael only increased his effort to keep him going.

"Gav, come on! Get the fuck over here! You've got to do this! You know you can do this! Come on! Keep swimming! Keep going! Don't you stop! You better not stop! What am I going to tell Geoff if I go back without you two, huh?! What the hell would I tell Meg or Tina?! Keep! Swimming! Come on, Gavin!"

Gavin wasn't sure what it was that kept him going. The instinct to survive, or to protect Ray, or maybe Michael's yelling giving him energy and encouragement. The mention of Geoff made Gavin remember his American family who would be waiting for him to come home and would be heartbroken if something happened, not to mention what it would do to his girlfriend or Ray's girlfriend for that matter. Whatever it was, the Brit was finally able to get within arm's reach of Michael. However, as they reached for each other Michael's solid land started to crumble and he had to back up with a surprised shout to avoid joining the other lads in the drink again. 

Once again, they were too far apart and Gavin couldn't move another inch. Any energy he had left was being used to stay afloat. Michael and Gavin shared a desperate look, and the eldest lad understood what was now happening. 

"Just hang on, Gavin. We're going to fucking get out of this."

He started to look around him for something to help reach them. Something Gavin could grab hold of. The only problem was they were a quarter of a way across a frozen lake with nothing close to grab and not much time. He started looking at maybe the possibility of something on him that could help. 

Gavin figured out what Michael was up to and suddenly realized that the solution was closer than he thought. The Brit started to grab at his scarf, but it was difficult to swim and take a waterlogged item of clothing off that was wrapped around his neck. There was only one way to get it off.

"Ray, hold your breath," he said and was answered with a nod.

Michael didn't pick up on Gavin's words though and suddenly watched in horror as Gavin and Ray disappeared under the water. He didn't have any strength left to yell out and could feel tears starting to prick at the edges of his vision. He was once again about to jump in when Gavin and Ray reappeared, with a gasp from the Brit. Gavin whipped one end of the scarf towards Michael. The older lad quickly caught it and waited for Gavin to wrap his end around his hand. With a nod from the Brit, Michael started to pull. They were so heavy and he was scared for a moment that the scarf would tear, but then he got a hold of Gavin's hand. With his other hand he grabbed Ray's arm and hauled his bois up.

 

All three of them didn't remember much from the journey to the snowy bank. The weakened ice kept unexpectedly breaking underneath them, so they were forced to swim and crawl agonizingly slow while trying to support each other. Using their last bit of strength, they finally scrambled onto dry land and passed out. 

 

Gavin woke up first, not remembering for a second where he was or how long he had been laying there. All he felt was cold and pain despite also feeling practically numb. He looked to his right and saw Ray and Michael laying deathly still. He shakily put a hand on Ray's shoulder and shook him weakly. Michael then started to stir. 

"Mi...Micool," Gavin rasped out, his accent thick from exhaustion. 

Michael turned his head and saw Gavin still with his hand on Ray's shoulder.

"Ray?" Michael tried in a weak voice. He shook the lad's other shoulder.

Finally Ray moaned softly and opened his eyes but made no effort to lift his head. It was enough though for the other two to know that their friend was still alive.

Michael met Gavin's eyes. "I can't drive. We need to call someone."

Michael would have called Lindsay, but she was out of town visiting family. Gavin nodded and reached for his phone, amazed that it hadn't fallen out in the chaos. He was even more surprised when he realized that Ray had never lost his glasses as well. Michael let out an exasperated moan and a soft string of curses when his phone turned up dead as well as Ray's. Gavin's phone working was their last hope even though it had been in the water nearly as long as Ray's had. As the Brit found the phone miraculously still running, he managed to make it to his contacts and hit the first one he could. He wondered if it would even ring.

It did.


	4. Chapter 4

Back at the Ramsey household, the gents sat around the living room drinking coffee but anyone who walked in would be able to feel the tension in the air. The time read way past four o'clock now and the lads were not back yet or even answering their phones.

"Maybe they're just not paying attention to the time," Jack suggested.

Ryan and Geoff only glanced at him before sharing a look any parent would know. Their father instincts were in overdrive with worry that something had gone terribly wrong. They didn't know how they knew, it was just a sixth sense. Now it is true that the lads are all adults and can take care of themselves, but they were still like children, sometimes even like little brothers to the gents, especially Geoff.

Said gent checked his phone one last time and glanced at the clock again. He was about to stand up and ask the other two join him in looking for the lads, when his phone suddenly rang. 

It was Gavin.

 

Gavin was just about ready to cry with joy when he heard Geoff's voice on the other end of the line. The phone was laying next to his head. The lad had set it on speaker so he wouldn't have to hold it up.

"Gavin? Where the fuck are you guys?! You better have a good excuse or I just might fire all three of you for worrying me!"

"Geoff!" Gavin's cry came out weaker than he expected and his voice broke, but it was enough for Geoff to hear and understand that something wasn't right.

"Gavin? What's wrong? Are you ok?" Jack and Ryan both stood up with questioning and concerned expressions. "Gavin!"

The Brit had just about given into exhaustion again. "Fell into...the lake...Need help."

"Are you in the lake or out of the lake?...Gavin, please!"

Gavin had been distracted by Michael trying to keep Ray awake. "Made it out...Cold. Hurts."

Geoff could not even describe the feelings of absolute panic to relief that they didn't have to fish the lads out of the lake, but a worrying thought occurred to him.

"Where are Michael and Ray?"

"Here..."

That was good enough for him. "Ok. Gavin, we're coming, buddy. Just hang on until we get there. Do not fall asleep, ok? Stay! Awake!"

 

Geoff hung up and met the panicked eyes of his fellow gents.

"The lads fell in the lake-"

"WHAT!!!" Jack and Ryan yelled. Geoff raised his hands for them to be quiet. 

"They made it out," he said quickly to forestall anymore panic, even if he couldn't keep it out of his own voice. "We need to go get them before they freeze to death."

"Do we need to call an ambulance?" Ryan asked.

"No," Geoff answered as he grabbed his wallet and car keys. "They need help now. Let's just go get them and bring them back here. We'll see how bad it is from there."

 

Gavin wished Geoff would have stayed on the phone with him, but at least he knew help was coming. The Brit allowed his head to fall back to the ground. Ray had gone still again but seemed to be breathing. Michael had given up on trying to keep Ray and himself awake and had given into his exhaustion. Gavin could still hear Geoff's words in his head but just didn't have the strength to obey them, or even try to keep the others awake. He flinched as something cold touched his cheek. The skies had grown dark and gentle flurries of snow were starting to fall, causing the temperature to drop even more. 

"Well that's just bloody top," he said sarcastically.

All he could do now was wait, even if he was miserable. Gavin wasn't sure when he dozed off or for how long, maybe a few minutes. Then that sleep was disturbed when he heard a car drive up suddenly and a voice call his name that he could not have been more relieved to hear.

 

The gents sat in Geoff's car in silence. Geoff drove, perhaps a little recklessly, but out of fear of getting to the lads on time. Ryan sat in the passenger seat, and Jack was in the back with a pile of towels and blankets beside him. Any comment Team Same Voice might have made otherwise about their boss's driving was kept to themselves just this once as they wanted to hurry just as much. The park was only about ten minutes away from the house but to them, it felt like hours had passed before they finally arrived.

"There's Michael's car," Jack said.

"There's the lads!" Ryan exclaimed and pointed. 

The gents all felt a stab of fear when they saw that the lads were not moving. As soon as Geoff had the car stopped and turned off, he was out the door and racing to them, calling out Gavin's name.

 

Gavin woke up from his doze to find himself being pulled into someone's arms. It only took a moment to realize it was Geoff kneeling on the ground and holding his pseudo son tightly to his chest. The gent could feel tears start to fall as relief washed over him, not even caring as his clothes started to get soaked with freezing cold water. Gavin buried his head in Geoff's shoulder, reveling in the warmth, and also started to shiver as he let some tears fall in joy at being rescued. 

"It's ok. It's ok. You're safe now. I've got you. Everything is going to be ok," Geoff murmured as he rubbed soothing circles into Gavin's back and held him tight. 

Letting Plan G have their moment, Ryan and Jack retrieved the other two lads. Jack helped Michael sit up and wrapped the towel and blanket around him before picking him up. Being the heaviest of the lads though, the bearded gent had to move him halfway onto his hip to hold him comfortably. Michael was more aware than the other two but only had the energy to wrap his arms around Jack's neck and rest his head on his shoulder. Ryan had already swaddled and gingerly lifted Ray up as well. He held the lad close but didn't like how unresponsive he seemed. The gent started to vigorously rub and pat his back and bounce him a bit until Ray's eyes finally cracked open and he groaned. The lad looked at him in confusion for a moment before finally realizing what was happening.

"Ry?" he whispered out in a weak voice.

"Shhhh. You don't have to talk right now. Just stay with me, ok?" the gent said comfortingly.

Ray nodded and buried his head in the crook of Ryan's neck. The gent looked over to see Geoff with the Brit held securely in his arms, wrapped up with the blanket and the towel Jack had handed to him. Geoff made sure Gavin was settled and then stole a glance at the lake. 

The entire ordeal of the lads could be told by the footprints, stirred snow, and broken ice from Ray's point of entry to where they had finally clambered and clawed their way up onto the bank. Geoff felt a shudder of dread at what they must have gone though. He looked down at Gavin and then back to Ryan and Jack.

"Let's go back home and get them warm." Geoff, including Ryan and Jack had all flinched when they felt how cold the lads were and were all anxious to get them fixed up before it caused any serious problems that would warrant a trip to the emergency room.

The gents walked back to the car. Ryan set Ray in the middle with the other lads being placed on either side of him. Jack offered to drive Michael's car, which luckily the keys hadn't been lost, and everyone was finally on the road back to the house.


	5. Chapter 5

Ryan kept glancing back at the lads as Geoff drove much more carefully back to the house. Michael, Gavin, and Ray had gone quiet except for the occasional sniffle or whimper, from pain or from cold the gent couldn't be sure. He also made sure all three of them stayed as awake as possible. Ray was the worst, as he kept dozing off no matter how many times Ryan called and reached back to shake one of his knees.

When they finally pulled into the driveway, the lads found themselves being carried into the house. Once they were in, the question of what to do next was on everyone's minds. Jack and Ryan immediately looked to their boss to come up with a plan. Geoff glanced down at Gavin for a minute before coming to a decision. 

"This may seem awkward, but we need to get the lads out of their wet clothes and wrapped up in blankets for now. I'll go get three more since these are soaked." 

Geoff set Gavin down on the couch, despite the lad's whine of protest. He was placated though when Jack set Michael down next to him and the two huddled close. Geoff came back with the extra blankets and handed one to each gent.

"I'll change Gavin in my bedroom. Ryan, you can use the guest room. Jack, I guess you can just stay out here." With that being said, he scooped Gavin back up and climbed the stairs to the bedroom.

To say this was awkward for the gents was an understatement. For the lads, it was mixed. Gavin trusted Geoff to do what he needed to do to help him, especially if it avoided a hospital trip. The gent spoke quietly to him as he removed his wet clothes and then lifted him onto the new blanket. The lad was just happy to finally be wrapped in something warm and dry and back once again in Geoff's arms. Ray was too far gone to even care as Ryan did the same thing, the gent being as gentle as he would be with one of his own children. Ryan talked to him about anything that came to mind, hoping the lad would listen to his voice and stay awake. Ray was just happy to be alive. Michael was aware enough to pitch a fit about the whole situation.

"I'm not fucking undressing with you in the room!"

"Michael, Geoff told me to stay here and help you-"

"I don't _need_ any help!"

Jack sighed and ran a hand through his beard. The lad had pushed himself as far into the couch as he could trying to stay out of the bearded man's reach. They had already been arguing like this for several minutes, and it was doing no favors for Michael right now. No matter how many times he said he was fine and didn't need help, Jack could clearly see how bad the lad was shivering and gripping the blanket already around him tightly. 

"Michael, I'm only trying to make sure you are alright, and you need to get out of those clothes so you don't get sick," Jack said as soothingly as he could. "Now let's do this instead. I'll turn my back while you undress and wrap up in the new blanket. If you need any help, I'm right here."

Something in Jack's pleading gaze finally broke through Michael's anger. He nodded and found his lap more interesting, suddenly embarrassed for yelling when the gent was only trying to help. Jack ruffled the lad's hair and gave him a smile that said "no hard feelings" knowing exactly what Michael was thinking. 

He turned his back, and the lad started to peel his clothes off. Michael encountered a problem though when he realized how stiff and numb he felt which only made the process harder. 

"You ok?" Jack asked after hearing a few whimpers. 

With no answer, the gent finally just turned around to check, finding Michael only partially undressed and close to tears. He gave Jack a look that clearly said "help me" even though he couldn't admit it.

"Oh, Michael." 

"I'm sorry," Michael choked out.

"It's ok. We all need help sometimes," Jack said comfortingly as he sat down next to the lad and pulled him into a hug. 

 

As Geoff walked back down the stairs with Gavin tucked against him, he met Ryan with Ray.

Ryan hesitated walking back into the living room. "I thought I heard shouting earlier..."

"Jack, is everything ok in there?" Geoff called.

"Yeah, just give us a minute!"

Gavin whined and squirmed in Geoff's arms suddenly, causing the gent to have to readjust his grip to avoid dropping the lad. He rubbed the lad's back to quiet him and then looked to Ryan who was worriedly watching Ray. The lad had his eyes closed but was clinging to the gent like his life depended on it.

"Is he any better?"

Ryan only shook his head before resting his chin on Ray's head and starting to slowly rock him. "How are we going to get them warm?"

Geoff had been thinking about it and was pretty sure he had come up with a good plan.

"I'll need your help. We can put them in warm water in the tub and let them sit for a few minutes. Then rub them down with towels when we dry them off. There's a hairdryer and a small space heater that we can use too. We'll take one at a time in order of depending on how bad their temperatures are, although I'm sure Ray will have to go first." 

Ryan nodded and closed his eyes as he held Ray a little tighter. Geoff looked down to check on Gavin and saw him sleepily watching, although he wasn't sure if the Brit even understood what had just been said. The gent smiled at him when the lad met his gaze. Gavin smiled back slightly and buried his head in Geoff's shoulder. The gent rested his cheek on Gavin's head and thought about how close he had been to possibly losing the Brit. They weren't out of the woods yet, but Geoff was content that his pseudo son and British little brother was safe and sound and most importantly, alive in his arms.

"We're good in here now!" Jack called.

Ryan and Geoff walked back into the living room to find Jack sitting on the couch with one arm wrapped around Michael who was leaning against him with his head on the gent's shoulder with the new blanket wrapped around him as close as possible. Geoff put Gavin on Jack's other side to go get a thermometer. Ryan kept Ray in his arms, reluctant to put the lad down.

A quick check of everyone's temperatures only proved what they had already suspected. The lads' body heat had dropped with Ray being the worst, followed by Gavin, and then Michael.

"Jack, stay here with them," Geoff said as he gestured for Ryan to follow him. 

Gavin made a noise of protest at Geoff leaving, and Jack had to wrap an arm around him as well to keep him from leaping up to follow.

"Gav, stay with Jack, buddy. I'll be back in a few minutes."

The Brit settled down but was still tense.

"It's ok, Gavin. Just stay with me, ok? Geoff will be back soon," Jack consoled him as he pulled the lad against him and rubbed circles with his thumb on his arm. The Brit finally relented and laid his head on Jack's shoulder with a sigh. The gent looked at both the lads and finally allowed himself to relax, comforted at the knowledge that they were safe and sound and would hopefully be just fine. 

 

Geoff led Ryan to the bathroom and turned the tap on in the bathtub until there was warm, but not too hot, water running. He put the plug in and turned away to let it fill a bit. Then he grabbed a few big towels and the hairdryer out of the closet and put everything on the counter, along with the thermometer so they could check Ray's temperature again after they had finished. He also dragged the heater out and got it running in the corner to keep the chill out of the room. 

When Geoff deemed the tub full enough, he turned to Ryan and reached his arms towards Ray. Ryan let Geoff take the lad from him and gently unwrap the blanket. The gent then shifted Ray so he was holding him bridal style and kneeled down so he was holding the lad slightly above the water. Geoff lowered him slowly, so as not to shock his body, until he finally let go of his legs but kept one hand on the back of his neck to hold his head up. 

Ray flinched at first, but after a minute of the water slowly warming him, he let out a sigh of contentment. He became a little more aware and was able to support himself, allowing Geoff to let go. The gent noticed that Ray's hair had some ice in it, so he used his hands to cup some water and pour it on the lad's head. Ray flinched and suddenly panicked at feeling of water over his head. 

"Ray, you're ok, bud." The lad relaxed again when he realized it was only Geoff.

They let him stay in the water until it started to cool. No one said anything. Ryan sat on the toilet watching and Geoff stayed next to Ray in case he needed help. When it was time, the gent gestured for Ryan to get ready while he gently picked Ray back up, the lad letting out a noise of protest. He set him down on the towel on the ground. Ryan wrapped another towel around the lad and began to briskly rub him dry. Geoff took the hairdryer and began to dry Ray's hair as well as providing some extra heat to warm him up. As soon as they were done, Ryan wrapped the lad back up in the blanket and cradled him in his lap so Geoff could check his temperature again. The rise in degrees to almost normal gave the gents the satisfaction that the plan had worked. Geoff ruffled Ray's hair before Ryan lifted him back to his chest and stood up.

"Ok, now let's go get Gavin." 

 

The gents walked back into the living room to find Griffon on the sofa holding the Brit against her, murmuring words of comfort and rubbing his arm. Geoff opened his mouth to start explaining, but his wife beat him to it.

"Jack already told me what happened," she said, referencing to the bearded gent's hurried attempts to calm her mother bear instincts as soon as she had walked through the door and found him, Gavin, and Michael looking worse for wear. At least she had been able to keep the Brit calm in Geoff's absence.

"Is Ray alright?" Griffon stood up and immediately ran a hand through the youngest lad's hair who was now limp with exhaustion. He had his head resting on Ryan's shoulder with his face buried from sight.

"He's better than he was. His temperature is back up luckily," Geoff said then heard a whimper.

Gavin was reaching his arms towards his pseudo father, wanting to be picked up again.

"Come here, idiot," Geoff chuckled and settled the Brit in his arms again. He turned back to his wife.

"Griffon, can you go get some warm clothes for him?"

"Of course." The woman walked towards the back door to go to Gavin's little studio apartment.

Ryan placed Ray down where Gavin had been sitting.

"Wow, he is warmer!" Jack exclaimed as he wrapped an arm around the lad. "Whatever ya'll did worked. And apparently wore him out."

Ray leaned heavily against Jack and was already dozing off again.

"Well, he was already tuckered out since I didn't let him sleep while he was half frozen," Ryan said, still watching closely in case the lad's condition changed suddenly.

Griffon came back in and handed the clothes to Geoff.

"Sweetie, could you also run to Ray's and Michael's apartments and get them clothes? I would try to find them something here but after everything that has happened, I think they would be more comfortable in their own clothes."

A smile, a nod, and handing over keys later found Griffon once again out the door with the promise to hurry back with the clothes as well as the exciting promise that she would pick up some hot chocolate to make for everyone. 

 

Ryan and Geoff returned to the bathroom to repeat the process with Gavin. The Brit was a bit hesitant about the Mad King being in the same room, but the feeling of the warm water chased any insecurities away as he now didn't care, so long as he wasn't cold anymore. By the time he was cradled in Geoff's arms, dressed in warm clothes and wrapped up in the blanket again, his temperature was successfully back to nearly normal. The gents then went back to get Michael. 

He didn't protest as Ryan picked him up and his spot was replaced with a more contented Gavin, or even when they went into the bathroom and Geoff started to fill the tub. It was when, once again, they went to unwrap him that he put up a fuss. The gents had planned his turn to be quicker since his temperature had barely gone down, but the lad was making that difficult. Michael finally relented after losing his face down with the stern father looks Geoff and Ryan were giving him. He knew there was no way he was getting out of this and even if he did get away, they would drag him back up kicking and screaming if they had to although that might bring his temperature back to normal by itself. But his loyalty and trust in Geoff had never faltered before, so his compliance finally allowed Ryan and Geoff to quickly repeat the process one more time. All three were back on their way to the living room with the only protest being when Michael didn't want to get out of the tub after the few minutes they let him sit because he was enjoying the warm water so much.

Griffon arrived right on time to meet everyone and hand off the clothes to Ryan and Jack. The bearded gent took Michael from Ryan's arms which allowed the other to whisk Ray up, and they took the lads to separate rooms to dress them. 

 

A few minutes later found the lads and gents all settled in the living room drinking hot chocolate. Geoff and Gavin were settled in the recliner. The Brit was overeager as the warmness from the drink spread through his body and he choked a bit. Geoff firmly patted his back until he stopped coughing. Across from them, Ryan sat with Ray cradled in his lap, the youngest lad still being a bit clingy to the older man. On the other couch, Jack sat with Michael leaning against him, the lad uncharacteristically quiet. Ryan, Geoff, and Jack all discussed video ideas, with a word in here and there from one of the lads, but as they finished up their drinks, it became clear that the young ones were slowly falling asleep. Ray was leaning heavily against Ryan with his eyes closed, Gavin had been nodding off every few seconds and Michael had his head on Jack's shoulder, only opening his eyes every so often.

Gavin curled up into Geoff's side and laid his head down just above his stomach. The gent set his empty mug aside and wrapped one arm around the lad while absent-mindedly stroking through Gavin's unruly hair with the other hand. The lad leaned into the touch, but something was nagging him and kept him from falling fully asleep just yet. Ryan put both mugs aside and stretched out on the couch to lay on his side. He wrapped his arms around Ray as the lad curled up against him and rested his chin on the lad's head. Jack shifted to a position where he could stretch out as well, but sat up with Michael settled into his side, the lad's head on his stomach. 

"Geoff?" Gavin finally broke the silence that had fallen over the room.

"Yeah, buddy?"

The lad hesitated for a moment, but Geoff's soft smile, if a bit concerned, encouraged him to keep going.

"I was so scared."

That got everyone's attention. Geoff's smile fell at the distressed look on Gavin's face, and he remembered the holes in the ice that he had seen.

"Gav, what exactly happened?"

Griffon walked back in at the same time as Geoff's question. She sat on the arm of the chair and rubbed Gavin's shoulder.

"You don't have to tell us right now if you don't want to," she said as the Brit hesitated again.

He shook his head and laid it back down. Then he launched into the tale of them driving to the lake, the snowball fight, which got a smirk out of Michael, walking out onto the lake and describing how cool it was. He stopped, knowing what he was coming up, but a nod from Geoff told him to keep going. He then told how Ray started to walk out to them, his fall, jumping in, and the struggle to swim and get to Michael, and then the shore. Then he remembered one particularly painful memory.

"Ray told me to let him go. He... he said it would be better. I didn't want to. I couldn't lose him," Gavin practically choked out as tears started to fall. All eyes went to Ray who had now hidden his face against Ryan's chest. 

"Ray?" Ryan asked gently but was only answered with a sob. "Hey, hey. It's ok. You're ok. Shhhh."

Ryan ran one hand through his hair and in circles on his back. He heard a mumble against his chest.

"What was that?" he prompted.

The lad finally lifted his head with tear stained eyes that had so much pain and shame, that it tugged at Ryan's heartstrings and sent his father instincts into overdrive yet again.

"I just didn't want Gavin to drown. I...I thought we weren't going to make it. It was so cold and I could barely breathe. I didn't want to be the stupid reason all of us died just because I fell in and couldn't swim."

"So you thought sacrificing yourself would be better than bringing everyone down with you," Ryan finished the thought.

Ray nodded with tear filled eyes.

"Ray, you know you guys are like my kids. I would be just as sad if something happened to one of you as something happening to all three of you," Geoff said.

"I couldn't leave you. How would I fight crime without my X-Ray?"

"I know we always joke about how we used to be better friends but Ray, you know you're still my best friend. If Gavin hadn't have jumped in, I would have. Best friends don't leave each other behind."

"And the Achievement Hunters stick together," Jack added.

"Ray, we all love you. We love all three of you. Not one of you would be more missed than the other," Griffon said.

Ryan nudged him. "Even though your intentions were noble, you know we would rather have all of you be safe and well. Ray, it was an accident that ya'll were lucky enough to make it out of." He made eye contact with Michael and then Gavin. "And all three of you know that. But that doesn't mean we care or think anything less of you. You're a part of this little family just like everyone else. Nothing will ever change that."

By the time Ryan finished speaking, Ray had buried his face in the gent's chest again and began to sob. However, this time it was in relief that no one blamed him for what happened. He was able to release all the emotion from the day as Ryan held him tight and murmured words of comfort in his ear. 

Michael could feel tears pricking his eyes as he laid his head back down.

"You ok, Michael?" Jack asked concerned.

"I'm just tired," he said a little too quickly.

Jack raised his eyebrows, not believing that the lad was telling the whole truth.

Michael met his gaze and after only finding concern, he ducked his head and muttered, "It's my fault."

"What's your fault?"

"Ray asked me if the ice was safe and I told him yes." Michael's voice started to crack. "If I had told him to stay back or had realized the ice under him was so thin then I could have kept this from happening. We should never have walked out onto the lake in the first place." A sob tore through his throat.

"Michael, look at me." Jack kept his tone gentle but firm.

The lad held his gaze.

"It. Wasn't. Your. Fault. You couldn't have known what was going to happen. You and Gavin walked out fine so you had no reason to think the ice wasn't safe. It was an accident, just like Ryan said. You three made it out and ya'll are all safe and sound. So don't worry about what you can't change."

Michael wiped his tears away and calmed down. 

"Now go to sleep. You've had a big day looking after your little brothers. You can relax now," Jack said with a warm smile and ruffled the lad's curls.

Michael finally smiled a genuine smile back and allowed himself to settle down, satisfied that his "little brothers" as Jack had called them were safe. He was asleep within moments of that thought. Ray cried himself to sleep a few minutes later with Ryan following soon after.

Griffon ruffled Gavin's hair and picked up everyone's mugs to wash them. The Brit was finally able to relax but not after getting one more concern out of the way.

"Geoff, am I in trouble?"

The gent looked confused for a moment before remembering his threat on the phone. He laughed and shook his head as he answered, "I think I can let this one slide." His expression then changed to a stern one. "But don't ever scare me like that ever again. You nearly gave me a fucking heart attack."

"Yes, Dad," Gavin said with a smirk as he laid his head back down.

Geoff began to run his hand through Gavin's hair again.

"I'm proud of you, you know." Gavin lifted his head back up and met Geoff's eyes. "You didn't hesitate to put yourself in danger when your friends needed you, and you were able to get everyone out of harm's way and back to safety. You were every bit of Vav that you needed to be." 

It was true. The unlikely hero rescuing his companions, one of which also had his alter ego hero self but turned from superhero into damsel in distress in seconds. This really gave light to the fact that not all heroes are the smartest or the bravest, nor are they invincible to all foes. Of course, this foe was only a frozen lake, but an enemy no less.

"So does that mean I'm not really an idiot?" Gavin asked.

"Don't push it," Geoff answered with a smirk. 

Gavin pouted and the gent ruffled his hair. 

"Now go to sleep. I can see you're tired. And we're the only two still awake." Jack had fallen asleep a few minutes ago.

"Thanks, Geoff," Gavin said as he made himself comfortable and let sleep slowly claim him, but not before the thought struck him that he was going to have an awesome story to impress Meg with. 

The gent kissed his pseudo son on the top of his head, choosing to tease him later on the thought he read on Gavin's face. "You're welcome, lad. I love you." 

"Love you too."

The gent finally let himself relax with the knowledge that the Achievement Hunters would live to see another day. With a sigh, Geoff let himself join everyone else in sleep with a smile on his face. 

 

Griffon walked back in a moment later to check on the men. She smiled as everyone was contentedly taking a nap. She retrieved more blankets and covered Jack, Ryan and Geoff. She then quickly took a picture with her phone but decided to be nice and not upload it immediately to Instagram since the lads had been through enough for one day. They would probably die from social media embarrassment. Griffon gently kissed Gavin on his temple and her husband on his cheek. Then she turned off the light and left to start dinner, knowing everyone would be just fine.


	6. Chapter 6

Geoff woke up first. 

He was confused for a second why there was a weight on him, and then everything rushed back when he looked at Gavin. Geoff lightly stroked the lad's hair, causing him to stir and start looking around blearily. 

"Sorry, go back to sleep," the gent whispered. Gavin made an unintelligible noise and settled down again.

Across the room, Ryan opened his eyes and started to get up before remembering he had Ray in his arms. He laid back down and rubbed the lad's back until he woke up.

"Hey, champ," he said as Ray opened his eyes.

"What time is it?" the lad said groggily, closing his eyes again.

Ryan checked his phone. "Almost seven thirty." They had been sleeping for a couple of hours at least.

Their talking woke Michael, and subsequently, Jack when he felt the lad moving around. As everyone sat up, Geoff nudged Gavin. "Sorry lad, wake up again."

The Brit sat up and slumped against Geoff.

Everyone just sat in silence, not sure what to say or do after the long and arduous afternoon they had had. Ray yawned, leaning heavily against Ryan's side, and Jack checked his phone.

"I need to get going," Jack said and stood up. Then a thought occurred to him. "Michael, Lindsay is out of town, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to stay with me and Caiti for the night?" Jack wasn't sure if the lad would want to spend the night alone right now.

Michael thought about it for a moment. "Ok, that sounds good."

His quick acceptance of the offer worried Jack a little, but at least he would be able to keep an eye on the lad.

"Alright, do you think can you drive your car now?"

"Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem," Michael said while standing, finding the movement easier, even if Jack had to steady him.

"Go grab your stuff and we'll head out."

Michael grabbed the pile of still damp clothes and realized that Griffon had also brought fresh shoes, as his were still soaking wet. Luckily, his phone was now working sine Griffon had put it in rice to draw all the moisture out. 

Goodbye's were exchanged as the two hugged everyone. Michael gave Ray a little bit harder squeeze and shared a look with him that conveyed what he needed to without having to use words with his best friend. When Michael hugged Gavin, they ended up starting a mini tickle fight that was quickly brought to a halt by Geoff's scolding.

"I don't mind you fucking around with him but not when the idiot is on my lap!"

Soon they were out the door and headed back to Jack's house. Ryan stood and folded up his blanket to add to the other two.

"I guess I need to go to."

"Can you give Ray a ride back, unless you want to stay here for the night?" Geoff asked, the second half of the question directed at Ray.

The lad was indecisive. He didn't want to stay by himself at the moment, but he knew Geoff already had Gavin to take care of as well as the rest of his family. And he didn't want to bother Tina this late. 

"I...I don't know," was all he could say and hung his head.

Ryan watched Ray and after weighing the decision in his mind, decided it would only be fair since Geoff and Jack each had one of the lads.

"Ray, do you want to come home with me?" Ryan already had a houseful of kids and animals, _what could one twenty year old hurt?_ And he knew his wife would fuss over him when he told her what had happened, so he didn't see any problems there.

The lad stared at him in surprise and then finally nodded his head, returning the small smile Ryan gave him. The gent ruffled his hair, despite Ray's whine of protest.

"We'll go to your apartment first so you can pick up whatever you need. I'll go get your stuff and we'll go." 

The gent walked back to the guest room and grabbed the clothes and phone. When he walked back into the living room, Ryan handed Ray his glasses, shoes, and his phone. As soon as he had his shoes on, the lad gave Ryan his best puppy dog eyes. The gent tried to not be affected by it since he knew what Ray wanted, but finally he caved in. Ryan sighed and scooped the lad up with one arm.

"Only to the car. You're lucky you're light." He turned to the other two as he started to walk to the door. "I'll talk to you guys later."

"Bye, Ryan," Geoff and Gavin said together.

"Bye, Geoff."

"Bye, Ray."

"Bye, Vav. Thanks for saving my ass. You're my hero."

"Bye, X-Ray. It was nice knowing you."

Ryan stopped halfway to the door to look at Gavin quizzically. Both lads shared mischievous grins.

"Yeah, whatever you do, don't end up in that basement," Geoff added, barely suppressing a smirk.

Ryan glared at them.

"If I don't come back, send help," Ray piped up.

"You. Hush," the gent turned his glare on the lad while adjusting him so he had a better grip. Ray hid his face to conceal his amusement. Ryan then turned back to the other two. "I'm going to put the both of _you_ in a hole."

Gavin and Geoff both shared a look and Gavin started to lift up his blanket. 

"Plan G?"

"Plan G."

And they both covered completely with their blankets, as if that would protect them from the wrath of the Mad King. Ryan just shook his head and headed out the door with Ray.

"I think we might have pissed him off," Gavin said in a muffled voice as he heard the door shut. 

"He'll get over it."

Gavin pushed the blanket down and snuggled against Geoff again. The gent began stroking his hair again.

"Do you want to go to the studio and lay in your own bed?"

The lad shook his head and the two sat comfortably until Griffon had finished dinner.

 

So this was definitely a day Gavin would never have expected and not one he would ever forget. A day that strengthened the bonds of the Achievement Hunters and only proved what was already obvious. The six were, for now and always, going to be there for each other, and everyone was capable of proving that they could be a superhero, in every sense of the word. Now if only Gavin could use those powers to keep Griffon from uploading that picture she took then he would truly be unstoppable.


	7. Epilogue - Nightmares

Michael was still unusually quiet. He and Jack had stopped by the his apartment to pick up stuff the lad would need to stay the night before heading to the house. Michael probably hadn't said more than ten words since he had been sitting in the gent's car. 

"Michael?" Jack waited until he had the boy's attention. "You ok? Do you feel alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Jack." The lad then quickly looked away.

Jack once again made a mental note to keep an eye on Michael. For now, he let the radio fill the awkward silence that stretched between them.

After he pulled into the driveway of his house, Jack looked over at Michael to find him nodding off. The gent gently nudged him awake.

"Wake up, sleepy. We're here."

Michael rubbed his eyes and grabbed his bag from the back seat when he got out.

When they stepped in the house, Jack took Caiti aside to explain what had happened. Michael sat down in the living room and made himself at home. Immediately, he heard excited meowing and suddenly had a orange tabby in his lap rubbing against him and purring.

"Hey, Uday. You remember me don't you, buddy," Michael cooed as he pet the cat, being quickly joined by Emma and Qusay. 

The rest of the evening went by smoothly, and soon everyone was comfortably in bed. Jack almost had to carry Michael to the guest room when he crashed on the sofa and protested about getting up. The gent checked on him one more time, finding him sleeping soundly, before joining Caiti upstairs.

 

_Gavin!_

_Michael watched in horror as Gavin half dived and half fell through the ice to rescue Ray._

_But wait, didn't this already happen?_

_Why am I here?_

_The other two were safe with Geoff and Ryan, right?_

_Michael waited for Gavin and Ray to surface like he knew they would but nothing was happening, not even a ripple._

_Just one more second. They'll resurface. I know they will...won't they?_

_It felt like his heart stopped when still nothing happened. He tried to yell but just couldn't make the words come out. He took off towards the hole in the ice but his movements were sluggish, and it seemed like forever before he finally dived in. He expected the cold to hit him, but he felt nothing. It was like swimming took no effort, and he didn't even have to hold his breath. But that's when everything froze._

_Gavin and Ray were laid out on the bottom, skin pale, eyes wide, not moving. Michael tried to reach for them, but all his desperate attempts did not get him any closer. It's like something was stopping him from grabbing them._

_Suddenly, he was back on land and looking into the faces of Geoff and Griffon. The woman was crying and Geoff looked heartbroken and disappointed. And if there was one thing Michael didn't want to cause, was his boss and practically father figure to be disappointed in him. Jack and Ryan stood a little further away, also with disappointed expressions pointed at Michael. Lindsay, Meg, and Tina were also there and looked both angry and accusatory. They didn't even need to say anything for Michael to immediately feel ashamed at what he had apparently caused._

_No! No! No! This can't be happening! This wasn't how it was supposed to happen! Why can't he tell them that?_

_Then he saw the bodies again laid out on the bank, completely lifeless._

_Noo! Noooo! Gavin! Ray! Wake up! You can't be dead!_

Michael?

_Please, wake up! This wasn't how it happened!_

_This can't be real! They can't be gone!_

Michael?

_Suddenly, Michael felt like he was being restrained, and he tried to fight against it. He had to get to his bois. They couldn't be dead. Because if they were then it was all his fault._

Michael!

 

Michael awoke abruptly to realize that Jack was leaning over him and had both his arms pinned to the bed. The lad let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding and then was overcome by emotion, not yet able to separate the dream world from reality.

"Jack, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for it to happen! I tried! I tried to save them! I'm sorry, please don't be mad!" He broke down after that. Jack finally realized what the nightmare must have been about.

"Michael. Michael, it's ok. It was just a dream. Gavin and Ray are fine," he said soothingly.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" was the choked response. 

Jack pulled the lad into his lap who immediately clung to him like a lifeline and buried his face in the gent's shoulder. The older man rubbed Michael's back in slow soothing circles and rested his other hand on the back of his head, lightly running his fingers through the curls. He kept repeating reassuring phrases and shushing the lad until he stopped crying and calmed down. 

When he finally came back to awareness and remembered everything that had really happened, Michael allowed himself to relax and enjoy the comfort being offered, keeping his face buried in Jack's shoulder. Even though Michael considered himself to be a strong person and didn't want to show weakness around people, he felt comfortable enough with the Jack. Considering he had lived with the gent for a time when he first moved to Texas and was able to build a friendship with him, the lad just felt safe breaking in front of him. 

"Michael?"

The lad made a noise that Jack took as acknowledgement.

"It was about what happened at the lake, wasn't it?"

Michael nodded.

"If you want to talk about it, I'm right here."

"Don't want to," he responded in almost a whisper.

"Ok, you don't have to." Jack wrapped both arms around him tighter. When he expected Michael to pull away, the lad instead clung to him. This told Jack just how emotionally wrecked he was from the day. 

God, he would do anything to not have had them go through what they did, especially little Ray. He just hoped their youngest lad didn't get seriously ill from this. At least he had Ryan watching him. And don't even get him started on Gavin. 

"I dreamed that I couldn't save them," Michael said. 

Jack almost asked what he had said since he had not been paying attention, but the lad spoke again.

"I tried to save them. I really did. And even though I knew it wasn't true it just...seemed too real," his voice faltered as he clung tighter to Jack. The gent rubbed the lad's back and shushed him.

"Michael, you know Gavin and Ray are alright don't you? That you saved them and they are both ok?"

The lad nodded against him and then said in such a distressed whisper that it broke the gent's heart to hear, "I wish I could see them now. I don't know how I'm going to get back to sleep."

Not for the first time, Jack wondered if Michael and Ray should have just stayed at Geoff's house. He also knew they couldn't drive over to both houses in the middle of the night. Jack glanced at the nightstand, and his eyes rested on Michael's now dry and working phone.

"Well, I know we can't go see them right now, but we can call them." Jack picked up the phone, clicked on Ray's contact, and handed it to Michael.

 

Ray had gone to bed fairly quickly once Ryan got him home. By the time the lad said hello to the gent's wife, his kids, and the menagerie of animals, got settled and ate a little, he was already off to crash in the guest room. Ryan had checked on him shortly after to make sure he was alright. Satisfied that the lad had made it to bed and seemed to be sleeping peacefully, he had gone to bed as well.

 

_Ray went from peaceful nothingness to suddenly finding himself back at the lake, struggling to keep above water._

_Gavin was holding him, but he knew the Brit was struggling._

_Michael was yelling, but Ray couldn't understand what he was saying._

_He could hear himself telling Gavin to just let him go, that it would be better._

_No, no! You idiot! Don't say that! Gavin would never let him go. He hadn't that day._

_He did._

_Ray could feel himself sinking as water filled his lungs, and the cold bit through his skin. I thought you weren't supposed to feel in dreams? This was one, right?_

_The dream shifted, and he could see Michael and Gavin sitting on the shore looking out over the lake._

_I can't believe he's gone, Michael said._

_What do you mean? I'm right here, dude. But Ray couldn't reach out to them, and they didn't seem to see him, even though he was almost standing in front of them._

_What are we going to do now? Michael continued._

_You guys don't have to do anything now. I'm right here. Can't you see me?_

_I should never have let go of him, Gavin choked out._

_Seriously, I'm right here! Gavin, you didn't let go of me! I'm alive! Why can't you two see that?_

_We'd better go, boi, Michael finally said._

_What? Go? Well, wait for me then! But he couldn't follow them._

_Guys! Guys, I'm not dead! I'm right here! I'm alive! Why aren't you listening to me?!_

_The other two just kept walking further away._

_I don't want to be dead! Please, come back! Don't leave me! I didn't mean what I said when I told Gavin to let go! Michael! Gavin! Help me!_

 

Ryan had woken up a few hours later and decided to check on all the kids quickly. It was then that he heard Ray yelling. The gent rushed to the guest room and threw open the door to find Ray curled in on himself screaming about how "he wasn't dead" and "don't leave me."

"Ray?!" the gent called as he rushed over and sat on the bed next to him. "Ray! Come one, kid! Wake up!"

The gent tried to shake him awake, but his screaming was only getting louder, desperately calling for the other two lads and help. Ryan finally decided to repeat what he had done at the lake. He pulled the lad onto his lap and started vigorously rubbing and patting his back with one hand while he held him tight to his chest with the other.

"Ray, come on, bud! Wake up! Wake up! It's just a dream!" He bounced the lad in his lap a little, trying to jostle him awake.

The lad struggled against him and was still practically screaming out, causing Ryan to have to use both arms to hold him still with one holding him tight around the waist and the other across his shoulders with the lad's head pushed against his shoulder, trying to muffle the shouting before the whole house woke up. 

"Come on, Ray, please! Just wake up! You're safe! You're alive! I've got you! Everything is ok!"

It seemed like he finally broke through when the lad went still and started taking heaving breaths. 

"Ray?" Ryan gently pulled his head away from his shoulder but the lad's eyes darted around, and he started to struggle against the gent's grip again. When he let out a whine, Ryan grabbed his chin to force him to look at him.

"Ray!" the gent stated loudly and sternly. 

Ryan could still see shear panic in the lad's eyes, but they suddenly focused on the gent, and he became still again. Before he knew it, Ray was clinging to him crying with his head buried in his chest and his arms wrapped almost uncomfortably tight around him. The gent could feel the tension in his body, and his breathing was still too fast.

"Ray? Listen, bud. Try to match my breathing. You _need_ to calm down."

The gent took in deep breaths, trying to exaggerate them. He wasn't even sure if the lad had heard him, but then Ray 's breathing started to slow down, and he was making the effort to match the gent.

A few minutes later, the lad finally slumped against Ryan exhausted but was at least out of the panic attack that had he had been in. Ryan rubbed his back again and shushed him when he whimpered. He rested his chin on Ray's head and just held him until he either calmed down enough to talk or fell back asleep.

The gent wasn't sure how long they sat there. He had actually been dozing off when Ray made a noise.

He looked down to find that Ray seemed to have come back to himself.

"Hey, kiddo. You back in with me in the land of reality?"

Ray looked up at him. Ryan was relieved that he no longer had panic in his eyes. He just looked tired and maybe nervous.

"Did you have a nightmare about what happened today?"

Ray nodded.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"I just...dreamed that I died. That Gavin let me go."

"Ray, you know it was a just a dream? You know Gavin would never abandon you?"

"I know, it's just my mind was being so mean to me." 

"You wanna lay back down?"

"No."

"I'll stay here until you fall asleep then."

Before Ray could respond, his phone started ringing. 

"I got it." Ryan reached for it and frowned when he looked at the caller id. "It's Michael." 

Ray glanced at Ryan, just as confused, and then put the phone to his ear.

 

"Michael? Are you ok?"

"Hello to you too."

"Dude, you sound rough."

"Speak for yourself."

"I am."

Michael finally smiled knowing that his best friend was ok.

"Did I wake you up?"

"I was _kinda_ already awake."

"Nightmare?"

"Yeah."

"Is Ryan with you?"

"Yeah. You don't happen to be with Jack do you?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Hey, that's not nice," Jack scolded.

"What's not ni- No! Jack stop!" he pleaded as the gent started to tickle his sides. "Ok! Ok! Please! I'm sorry!"

Jack stopped tickling him and wrapped his arms around the lad again.

"Is he giving you a blowjob or something?"

"What? Hell no! We're both married men!"

"But if you two _weren't_ married..."

"Shut up, Ray!"

"So, yeah, you had a nightmare about the lake as well?"

"Yeah, it was horrible. I dreamed that I lost you guys."

"I dreamed that I died."

"Ray no, choose life!"

He heard a chuckle in response.

"So I just called cause I wanted to make sure you were ok. I almost thought it was real. I wasn't sure if I was going to go back to sleep without some kind of proof that you and Gavin were fine."

"Hey, you don't have to worry about me. Takes more than a little cold water to defeat X-Ray."

"Tell that to the lake that kicked your ass."

"Don't blame me! That lake was tricksy as fuck!"

"Well anyways, you know we should go on another bro-date sometime. Just like we used to."

"No Gavin?"

"Not unless you want him to tag along."

"I think...I think I would like it if he came with us. Team Lads date."

"Ok, well we'll talk more about that tomorrow. I still need to call the idiot."

"I think I'll call him too. Text me when you two are done."

"Ok, night, Ray. Give Ryan a kiss for me."

Ray looked up at Ryan to find the gent giving him a threatening glare. He couldn't help the shiver that passed though him. _Ryan could sure be a creepy mother fucker when he wanted to be._

"Yeah, I don't think he's in the mood."

"Well don't give him a reason to stab you or put you in a hole. You've got a Lads date to attend."

"I'll be there. Night."

"Night."

 

Gavin had decided to sleep on the sofa that night. He was comfortable enough and wanted to be closer to everyone rather than alone in the studio. He also declined the offer to move to the guest room as he was content enough where he had settled. Griffon had gotten him a pillow and a couple of blankets, and both of the Ramsey's gave him a kiss on his forehead. He had tried to block Geoff with the blanket but after a tickle attack, he was forced into a surrender and earned a sloppy kiss that he had desperately tried to scrub away. Everything had settled down until Gavin was well into sleep.

 

_Michael was yelling._

_Michael was yelling, but Gavin couldn't understand him._

_He was in the water trying to keep himself and Ray afloat. Gavin knew he had to get to his friend at all costs._

_He started to swim, but it seemed like he wasn't making any ground. In fact, the further he swam the further away Michael was._

_This didn't make any sense? How am I not gaining any ground- water- whatever!_

_Michael's yelling started growing fainter and Gavin could feel himself sinking._

_Only himself, he realized._

_Ray had disappeared. Gavin looked around in panic but couldn't find him and didn't remember losing him._

_He was sinking with no way to stop himself, no matter how hard he tried. The water just kept sucking him down._

_The world grew dark as Gavin was finally pulled from the nightmare._

 

Gavin woke up on his stomach to find Geoff sitting beside him with his hands on the Brit's shoulders, as if he had been shaking him. He could see the worry in the gent's eyes and the world seemed to come crashing down on him. Gavin wasn't normally one who cried, but now he couldn't stop himself.

"Hey, bud? It's ok. You're ok." Geoff tried stroking his hair but it wasn't working.

"Ok then." The gent picked up the Brit, blankets and all. "Back to our chair."

He sat down in the recliner and pulled Gavin into his chest. The gent stroked his hair and rubbed his back as the lad clung to him and cried into his shoulder. He kept repeating assurances and hummed softly until Gavin finally quieted. The lad actually went so still that Geoff thought he had fallen back asleep. 

"Gav?"

The lad looked up at him with sleepy eyes.

"Did you have a nightmare about the lake, buddy?"

"Yeah."

"Try to go back to sleep. Everything is ok."

"Can you...stay?"

"I'll stay, bud. If it means both of us getting sleep then I'll stay right here." Geoff reclined back and got comfortable. He lightly stroked Gavin's hair until they both started to doze off.

The peace lasted all of two minutes until Gavin's phone started going off.

"Shit on my fucking dick! Who's calling you in the middle of the night?"

Gavin reached over Geoff to grab his phone that was sitting on the end table.

"I swear if that's Dan, I'm going back upstairs to Griffon. And tell him to pay more attention to fucking time zones!"

"It's Micool," Gavin said groggily, his accent thick. 

 

"Micool?"

"Hey, boi. You alright over there?"

"Yeah, I'm top. Why?"

"Just...I had a nightmare and...I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Was my little Micool boi scared by a nightmare?"

"Gavin, I swear to God-"

"What he's trying to say is he had one too," Geoff's voice suddenly came over the line. Michael could hear Gavin's squawks of protest and what sounded like a struggle for the phone.

"Cried and everything. Had to hold him like a baby-"

"Geoff, you're a mingy little prick, you know that?"

Michael had to take a moment to stop laughing, also being reminded by Jack to keep it down, so they didn't wake Caiti up. When the other end of the line went quiet, he spoke up.

"So what was yours about?"

"My wot?"

"Your nightmare, numbnuts."

"I couldn't get to you and I lost Ray, and then I started drowning."

"I dreamed that I lost you both."

"Good thing it wasn't real then."

"I just can't believe how close we were to dying."

"So do you think we have like eight lives left then?"

"What? No. Gavin it doesn't fucking work like that."

"It's like that for cats."

"No. Idiot- You know what, I don't have time for an intellectual argument! Save it for Ray. He's calling you next."

"But, Micool-"

" _But, Micoo_ ," Jack mocked.

"Shut up, Jack, you bloody mong!"

"Love you too, Gavin."

"Wait, why is Jack there?"

"I'm hanging up now. Ray's going to call you if he hasn't already fallen back asleep. And Gavin, don't let Geoff give you a hard time about crying and shit. I know it must have been scary. The nightmare."

"Aww. Look at my lovely little Micool boi being comforting."

"Shut the fuck up, Gavin! Goodnight. Go back to having fun cuddling with Geoff."

"Goodnight, boi."

 

Michael glanced up after hanging up and found Jack staring back at him.

"You good now? Are you ok with me leaving you to go back to bed."

Michael sent a quick text to Ray and settled himself closer to Jack. "No, you're comfortable. You can stay here a bit longer."

"Someone's sure bossy. You know I could just dump you off of my lap?"

"And I could throw a temper tantrum if you do."

The two men stared at each other, both with a challenge in their eyes. Jack finally backed down. It was too late at night to be arguing, or raging for that matter. 

"Fine you big baby, I'll stay for a few more minutes."

"I'm not a baby. I'm a grown man."

"Keep dreaming, Michael."

Michael wasn't sure if he wanted to dream again. He was fearful of any other nightmares to come.

 

Ray actually was still awake. Ryan had kept him talking about games to keep him from falling asleep. When he got the text, he quickly called Gavin.

"Vav, you there?"

"Hey, X-Ray. Did you have a nightmare too?"

"Seems to be the running theme tonight."

"Hey, I have a question first."

"Go on."

"Since we almost died today, do you think we lost a life like a cat does."

"Do you really want me to hand the phone to Ryan."

"I'll save it for a Let's Play then." Ray saw Ryan do a face palm above him, apparently having heard the Brit's comment. "Wait, Ryan's there with you?"

Geoff's voice came out of nowhere, "I knew it! R & R Connection is real!"

"Fuck you, Geoff!"

"You're fired, Ray!"

"Yeah, yeah, you told me that last week."

"So what was your nightmare about, Ray?" Gavin brought the discussion back to the issue at hand.

"That I died."

"Basically the same for me too."

"You see, this is why I don't go outside in the first place."

"I think this is one instance where I have to agree with you."

"So yeah," Ray said. "I just wanted to make sure that you're alright. So I can, you know, sleep ok hopefully."

"I'll always be here to help you fight your nightmares off."

"X-Ray!"

"And Vav!"

"So I guess I should get to it and go back to sleep. I think Ryan's dozing off."

"Geoff's already asleep so I guess I should too."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

 

With that, Ray hung up and handed his phone back to Ryan, so he could put it on the nightstand.

"Do you feel good enough now to lay down?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty tired now."

Ryan shifted so Ray could crawl off his lap and onto the bed. The lad engaged his puppy dog eyes.

"You can put yourself to bed. And those eyes won't work on me this time."

"You're no fun," Ray grumbled as he shuffled off Ryan's lap and under the blankets.

"Not in the middle of the night I'm not."

"We don't even have work tomorrow. You can sleep in. I know I am."

Ryan got a mischievous glint to his eyes. "Just wait till I give you a rude awakening _early_ in the morning."

Ray's eyes widened. "You wouldn't!"

"Don't test me."

As Ray got settled in bed, Ryan stood up to leave.

"Sleep well, champ. You know everything's ok."

"Night, Ryan."

Ray rolled over onto his stomach when the gent turned the light off and closed the door. For a second he didn't want to go back to sleep and thought about grabbing his DS and playing until he passed out. However, Ray was too lazy to go grab it out of his bag. He couldn't stop himself from running everything that had happened that day through his head. He knew that he was lucky to have come out of all this alive. Maybe he'd stop being so quick to sacrifice himself, since the others expressed how much they cared about everyone, _including himself_. Today had proven that they can always get out of any situation, together. Ray finally went to sleep with a smile on his face when he realized that everything was indeed alright.

 

When Gavin got off the phone, he looked up at Geoff to see the man still seemingly fast asleep. The Brit put the phone back down on the end table and snuggled up next to the gent again. He was startled when he felt a hand run through his hair.

Geoff smiled sleepily down at him. "You ok now, lad?"

"Tippy top, Geoff."

"Still want me to stay with you?"

"Yeah?" Gavin gave him a pleading expression.

The gent just nodded and they both settled.

"Hey, Gavin?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't be ashamed for the crying and being distressed because of the nightmare. I know you've been through a lot today"

" _Aww!_ I knew you cared about me, Geoffrey."

"Yeah, that'll be the day."

"Everyone's so mingy tonight."

"It's the middle of the fucking night, dude. Now go back to sleep. And try to not have any more nightmares. You owe me tons of coffee tomorrow morning."

Gavin smiled and, finally relieved that everything was indeed over, relaxed and fell asleep.

 

Jack had been generous by staying more than a few minutes. He gently massaged Michael's back, hoping it would relax the lad enough to make him fall asleep. When that just wasn't working, he sighed.

"Michael, I really want to go back to bed. Can you manage on your own? Now that you know Gavin and Ray are fine?"

"I'm just scared." He heard the muffled response in his shoulder.

"What are you scared about?"

"That I'll have another nightmare. It's stupid."

"It's not stupid. It's ok to be scared. You don't need to be a tough guy around me."

Michael felt a smile creep onto his face. "Thanks, Jack."

"Anytime, bud. How about you try to sleep now. I'll stay until you do."

"Ok," came the groggy response.

"Wait. No, I meant-" Too late. Michael was fast asleep in his arms.

"Oh, Michael. The things I do for you lads."

Jack carefully picked him up and laid him gently on the bed. He tucked Michael in and lightly ruffled his hair.

"You're gonna be ok. Sleep well," he whispered before leaving.

 

Michael slept through the night without anymore nightmares. He woke up and at first wondered where he was. Everything flooded back and for a moment he panicked again, wondering if Gavin and Ray were alright. A quick check of his phone revealed three new texts.

One from Lindsay telling him that she was sorry she wasn't home for what had happened and would get back as soon as possible. _Jack must have called her._ He texted her back immediately to reassure her that he was fine and to take her time.

The next text was from Ryan with a picture of a very unhappy looking Ray with all the Haywood cats and dogs in bed with him. The lad was holding back the canines from licking him to death while the felines looked to be rubbing him thoroughly. _Seems like he got a rude awakening._

The last text was from Griffon showing Gavin and Geoff snuggled up in the recliner. Michael could only imagine what those two were going to say about that when they found out about the picture. He heard a knock on the door.

"Michael, are you awake?"

"Yeah, I'm up."

"You doing ok?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

For once after everything that had happened, Michael finally believed himself. He smiled. 

"Now, time to work on that Lads date."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who commented and left kudos! Ya'll are awesome


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